Reversing into space

Through my rear view mirror the past, as Meatloaf warned, seems much closer. There was a mention on TV last evening about a time, 30 years ago, followed by the year in question 1990.  1990, but that was only yesterday, we both said in unison. But of course 1990 was 30 years ago. Time flies? I was ordained, deaconed, in 1969, and that was 53 years ago. I was 24 years old. Far too young to take on the responsibilities of a curate in the Church of England, there were still young people, teenagers, in the congregation, but much of my pastoral work involved sitting with the dying, taking funerals and visiting the sick and the lonely. Now 53 years later I have retired for the 2nd time. My first retirement was, as an Archdeacon commented, far too early, this retirement was, as another Archdeacon implied, far too late. Like dinosaurs and dodo's and other extinct animals I am it seems, as Chris Farlow sang out of time: You don't know what's going on You've been away for far to...

I Each letter rehearsed Punctuating silence Emphasising meaning Emotions underlined By hyphen comma semi breve So we dare to risk Revealing our heart’s truth II Seeking truth in the margins Scribbled notes at pages edge Reflecting nuances of meaning Each word redefined clarified Images of grandmothers Holding me as a child strong Names Cecilia Florence Strong women deep memories As the clouds of war lifted I became for better or worse A hope for the future of family Of district of city of a better world So we set our faces to a positive Change of circumstance sunlight Caressing new growth rising Teasing possibilities of harvest Always change and reshaping Of the familiar into novel forms Leaving the past behind shaking Dust from my sandals a personal Intafada leaving behind that which Is of no value disbursed dispensed Embracing in its place a positive And welcoming future III Seeking truth in the margins Scribbled notes at pages edge Reflecting nuances of meaning Each word re...

Elections are a crucial element in any democracy. I was born in 1945 in The Lakes a private maternity home in Ashton under Lyne, four years later my sister was born in a National Health Service Maternity Unit. The difference was an election. The Labour Party was elected and became the party of Government in 1945 against all expectations, the pundits got it wrong, because the public, exercised their votes because, clearly, they believed that a Labour Government would pursue a programme of social reform that would benefit the nation as a whole in those grim post war years. Sadly, since then, there have only been a very limited number of Labour Governments the best of which in my view after Attlee was the Wilson Government which introduced the Open University and kept Britain out of Vietnam. The Blair Government was a mixed success much of the benefits were driven by Gordon Brown as a fiercely independent Chancellor, including Sure Start, lifting thousands of children out of poverty and b...

 I’m not at all certain whether this is an aspect of life in general or whether it is a peculiarity of Vicarage life but I find myself faced with the challenge of downsizing once again. It has happened before. Moving from an 18th Century Rectory to a relatively modern house in a Cathedral Close involved downsizing and to a degree modernising, much of what was disposed of was replaced with newer furniture that fitted more appropriately into the new house. Moving from our 5 Bedroom Vicarage where one bedroom served as my library to a much smaller modern house was an occasion for books to be thinned out (All the paper backs went to Oxfam) for furniture to go to the Auction (the value of a life went under the hammer) and when we got to the new house, the van driver commented, my Van is bigger than your house! But we managed! This move is different again as I realise that I should be aiming for minimalism elsewise my family will be faced with numerous journeys to the tip once I am no lo...

Even in my rear view mirror I cannot see or recall a Government as poor as the one we currently have. I am old enough to remember Harold McMillan who assured us that we had never had it so good. McMillan built houses, nurtured the NHS, supported the Welfare State and generally governed in the public interest. I remember Margaret Thatcher and whilst I had little or no time for the Thatcher Government she had principles, principles which I disagreed with and opposed, but she was principled. The best post war Prime Minister that I remember with huge affection and respect was Harold Wilson, as his Biographer commented, Mrs Thatcher was remembered for the Poll tax and the Falklands War. Harold Wilson was remembered for The Open University and keeping Britain out of Vietnam. Now we have a litany of shameful policies which will embarrass us as a nation for years to come the most recent and the worst the shabby, shameful deal with Rwanda to process those who arrive in the UK to seek Asylum. Wh...

  My father ran a motorcycle.  It was a transport of delight because it meant that as a family we could get out into the country side and enjoy the fresh air, a favourite family outing was to  Lyme   Park  on the fringes of  Stockport  in a small village called Disley. The first motorcycle was a Rudge Ulster. I do not know where it came from, it appeared, and my father also acquired and fitted a sidecar to it. The bike was a high revving sports bike completely unsuited to pulling a side car but because my father was mechanically inclined he was able to keep the bike maintained and sufficiently roadworthy both as a source of transport for himself and family outings for my mother, sister and myself. On one occasion we were on a family outing into Derbyshire when the bike broke down as we were pulling up the long drag known as Long Hill outside Buxton. There were two bikes that day, our Rudge, which had broken down and my Uncle Ronnie’s Indian. The RAC ma...

When I took my driving test 60 years ago I was advised that I should set my rear view mirror slightly to one side so that I had to turn my head to look in it in order to see what was behind me. This ensured that the driving tester would notice that I had been using my mirror throughout the test. So today I take a sideways look into the mirror and see my 17 year old self looking back. My work at the Normeir Garage in Stoke on Trent was described as a Trainee Salesman although in practice it is fair to say that I was a Tyre Fitter (possibly the most responsible job that I have ever had). I lived close by and so would walk to work and back morning and evening as well as at lunchtime which I took at home. My walking was almost a 'prayer walk' as I reflected on the world around me, struggled with my growing sense of vocation and struggled with the usual turmoils that challenged an average 17 year old's mind. It was the time of the Cuba Crisis and there was a very real sense that...